Polls now closed in Vaughan, K-W by-elections

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The polls are now closed in the two by-elections in Ontario. Voters were allowed to enter polling stations until 9 p.m. The Liberals are expected to hold on to the Vaughan riding vacated by former finance minister Greg Sorbara. But the other by-election in Kitchener-Waterloo turned into a close three-way race for the seat held for 22 years by Progressive Conservative Elizabeth Witmer. Premier McGuinty engineered that by-election by appointing Witmer to a $188,000 a year job as chair of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

Judge Hackland defers decision in Ford case

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Judge Charles Hackland, presiding in the Mayor Ford conflict matter has deferred his decision as to what will happen to Mr. Ford. Legislation provides for the mayor to be thrown out of office or receive a less serious rebuke. Judge Hackland gave no hint as to how he will decide. The hearing, which included a more than four hour cross-examination of the mayor by Clay Ruby, is now over.  

Peter Robinson at Sleuth on Sept 13, 2012

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The celebrated crime writer Peter Robinson will make a personal appearance on Thursday, September 13, 2012 between 6.30 and 8 p.m. at the Sleuth of Baker Street.  Dr. Robinson will be promoting his latest work, Watching the Dark. It features Robinson’s famous character Inspector Alan Banks.  The Sleuth of Baker Street is in the Millwood Mall at 907 Millwood Rd. at Sutherland Ave. (416) 483-3111.  Dr. Robinson lives in Toronto and has an interesting history. He was born in England in 1950 and emigrated to Canada in 1974. He took his MA in English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor, with Joyce Carol Oates as his tutor, then a PhD in English at York University in Toronto. He is best known for the Inspector Banks series which is set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Eastvale. His work has been translated into fifteen languages.

Horses were loose in Sunnybrook Park

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Undated picture — Sunnybrook Stables

Toronto police officers entered Sunnybrook Park Tuesday to round up several horses on the loose. According to 680 News, from whom this report is taken, a passerby called at around 5:15 a.m. to say he spotted about 20 horses running free in the park. Sunnybrook is home to Sunnybrook Stables Limited, a full scale riding school with stables and other facilities. Apparently some horses had escaped from their paddock in the park and decided to go for a run. 680 News said that a few had wandered up to the cricket field where staff assisted officers in herding them all back into the paddock. There has been horse stables at this location since well before Sunnybrook was a City park. The Stables website tells the history, which is fairly well known locally but still of interest. It was the location of a country estate owned by Joseph Kilgour, an accomplished horseman. Sunnybrook Stables Limited 

Chewy Bars Loblaws new weapon of choice

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The chocolate chip phase of Loblaws offensive against Longo’s is over. Where last week the supermarket giant was offering President’s Choice Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookies as an incentive to stay loyal, it has now moved on to free boxes of PC Dipped and Chewy Bars instead. And the ante has been upped. Where you could get the cookies for a purchase of $50 or more, the granola like bars require a minimum transaction of $75. 

Aristocrat weds in Lady Gaga cutaway gown

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We just could not — could not — resist showing you the shall we say eye-catching wedding dress of 24-year-old  Lady Mary Charteris for her marriage to boyfriend rock musician Robbie Furze. He is front man for The Big Pink Bow. You see Mary here with her father. She wore the cut-away dress complete with tulle skirt, floral headpiece and vertiginous heels. The aristocratic model chose a dress designed by Pam Hogg — who just so happens to have dressed Lady Gaga. The MailOnline was a little rude, observing this is what you get when you use Lady Gaga’s designer. It added however that: .”The blond star certainly had the figure for the creation which featured cutaway detail and sheer sleeves”. Some comments were cruel however: “Yowser! What a frocky horror. It’s so bad, I think I’ve seared my retinas. Best dressed award goes to baby Ethel. (If I’d worn something like that for my wedding, my Dad would have either refused to walk me down the aisle, or insisted I change into an ordinary frock instead!)” MailOnline